Genetic diversity of Ehrlichia sp., Babesia spp., and Anaplasma marginale in cattle from Mozambique.

Due to the importance of livestock in Mozambique, studies on the occurrence and genetic diversity of tick-borne agents are highly relevant. The present study aimed to investigate, through molecular methods, the occurrence and genetic diversity of Ehrlichia minasensis, Babesia spp., and Anaplasma marginale in cattle from Mozambique. DNA was extracted from blood samples of 222 cattle from five districts in Maputo, Mozambique. Of the 222 blood samples from cattle in Mozambique, 22 (9.9 %) were positive in the PCR based on the dsb gene of Ehrlichia sp.; 60 (27 %) in the nested PCR assay based on the rap-1α gene of B. bigemina; 50 (22.5 %) in the nPCR based on the sbp-2 gene of B. bovis; and 215 (96.8 %) in the qPCR based on the msp1β gene of A. marginale. Positivity for B. bovis, B. bigemina, and E. minasensis was associated with dairy cattle, which may be due to their higher susceptibility to infestation by Rhipicephalus microplus, the tick vector for all three agents. High genetic diversity of B. bovis was observed for the msa-2b gene, while low diversity was found for the msa-2c marker. The msa-2b genotypes of B. bovis detected in cattle from Maputo were shared with isolates from Brazil, Mozambique, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and China. Most of the msa-2c genotypes identified in this study appeared to be exclusive to the studied region. High genetic diversity of A. marginale was observed, with 15 novel strains and three previously reported strains identified in cattle from the study area. Genotype E was the most prevalent, followed by genotype G. The phenomenon of superinfection with different A. marginale strains infecting a single animal was also observed. Genetic diversity indices indicated that the tandem repeats (SSRs) were highly diverse (high GDM1 values) among each other and within the study region, although with low dispersal (low GDM2 values).